Pocket Guide: Rohnert Park Rohnert Park 3 stars Hotels

Just south of Santa Rosa, the planned community of Rohnert Park weaves parks and biking trails throughout its neighborhoods. The city is home to Sonoma State University, which began in 1960 as a teacher-education college. The university now covers 269 landscaped acres and serves 8,100 students. The adjacent city of Cotati hums with year-round nightspots and summertime jazz and accordion festivals.